Protector
by xX.Padfoot.Xx
Summary: When Beka gets wounded defending her Lord Provost, she has someone to look out for her whether she likes it or not... Quick story. BekaRosto WARNING: Spoilers for Terrier
1. Protector

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Terrier, or any Tamora Pierce books. Sadly, I don't.**

**Beka's POV**

It all happened so fast. I was scanning the outer courtyard as I walked behind my Lord Provost. A flicker of movement caught my eye. Looking up swiftly, I saw a cove crouched on the edge of a rooftop. A closer look revealed a bow grasped tightly in his hands, an arrow already strung. As if it was slow motion, I saw him take aim and fire.

I shouted something incoherent, knowing I couldn't warn my dogs in time. I could guess who the target was, so I stumbled forward, hitting my Lord Gershom out of the way. A sharp pain bit deep into my shoulder, and my eyes swam from pain. I staggered forward, telling myself over and over, "Stay awake. My Lord is still in danger…still in…danger…."

I saw Tunstall's face in front of my own, asking me if I was alright. I tried to answer, I really did, but my tongue felt too heavy. Someone hit my side, and finally I gave in to the darkness.

"Did you see who shot her?"

"Yes. We have a full description written out at the kennel."

"Let me see it."

"No! We can just let a rogue look through our descriptions!"

I smiled, recognizing Goodwin's voice through the haze enveloping me. My smile widened as I heard the predicted answer from Rosto; "I'm not just a rogue, I'm _the _Rogue. With a capital R!"

I opened my eyes to see Rosto leaning over me, to talk to Goodwin on my other side. I was in my room, on my own bed in the lodging house. Goodwin saw my eyes open, and shouted, "Tunstall, get in here! Our Puppy's finally awake!"

At hearing her words, Rosto quickly looked down at me. For once, his eyes weren't mocking or unreadable. I could almost swear I saw concern in them as he watched me, before they returned to being inscrutable.

Tunstall ran in, practically knocking my door off its hinges. As soon as he saw me, he said, "Now, how's our Puppy doing?"

I grimaced in response as a fresh wave of pain shot through my shoulder. Seeing my expression, Tunstall answered with, "That well? We better get Kora to take a look at you again."

As he walked back out, Goodwin explained, "We got a professional healer to look at it first, but Kora's been checking on you more frequently then the healer would've done. You've got a nasty wound. That arrow sliced right through the muscles near your shoulder, and almost shattered the bone. The healer patched it up pretty well, but you'll have a hard time moving that shoulder for a while."

Kora came rushing in, Tunstall following behind her. She smiled when she saw I was awake, and took a seat beside me. She mouthed something, and put a hand on my shoulder. I felt a strange tingling sensation pass through my shoulder, before it disappeared abruptly. Kora smiled, saying out loud, "It's doing fine right now. You should stay on your bed for awhile yet, though. I really need to make you a protection charm."

"It's not like I got stabbed or anything," I said, blushing slightly at all the eyes on me. "I'll be fine in no time. How's my Lord?"

"He's more concerned about how you're doing then the assassin, really. But he has hired a team to find out who it was and who they were working for." Tunstall watched me as he said this, and then smiled and ruffled my hair. "Good work, Puppy. We didn't even see the threat. It'd be better if you hadn't gotten hurt, but you can't have everything."

"Well," said Goodwin, "it's 'bout time for our watch. Let's go, Tunstall." He nodded, turning to leave with Goodwin. I started to make a noise of protest, before I sighed in defeat. I knew I wouldn't be able to join them tonight, I would only be a burden. Kora got up to follow them, explaining about a new job opening as an assistant to a herbalist.

Rosto pulled up a chair beside my bed, sitting down moodily. Briefly, I wondered why he had been so quiet, excluding the conversation when I was waking up. We sat in silence for a while, before I finally asked, "Don't you have business as the Rouge?"

"Why?" he asked, eyes searching my face. "Do you really want me gone that badly?" He said it almost jokingly, but I sensed he was dead serious.

I looked down, whispering, "No." Well, it wasn't like I could say yes. He was my friend.

He smiled slightly, before saying abruptly, "We will find him." His eyes were coal black as he stared at my face, his face somber.

"Who?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"That assassin," he snarled, voice cold. "No one gets away with hurting you. No one."

"I'm touched, really, but you don't have to—"

Before I could say anything else, he leaned down and kissed me tenderly. I thought of punching him, like I'd promised myself, but then I decided I shouldn't risk it with my shoulder. Or something like that. And besides, this sensation of feeling like my stomach just dropped through the floor is actually quite pleasant.

When he pulled away, he whispered in my ear, "Yes, I do."

He smiled at me as I looked up at him, before standing to leave the room. I called out to him, saying, "Wait!"

He turned towards me, eyebrows raised. I looked down, slightly embarrassed. Finally I muttered, "Thanks."

**Author's Note:**

**I'm writing this story in protest. I mean, out of 200 some pages of Tamora Pierce stories, only about 6 of them are for Terrier, and about 2 of those are Rosto/Beka. So, I just randomly started writing this. I'm not sure if it's that good, but I like it. **

**Should it be a oneshot or not? I'm not really sure how to continue it, so I need some feedback please! **

**Thanks for reading my story, I hope you liked it!**

**Padfoot**


	2. Where'd You Go

**Rosto's POV:**

I shut the door quietly behind me, mind reeling. Who would want to assassinate the Lord Provost? He's fair and just; even us rushers respect him to a point. There's no real reason to want him dead. He'd just be replaced with someone else, someone who might not be as fair to us rushers.

Stupid dogs, going on and teaching Beka to value other people too much. I would've saved my Lord in a way where I would be safe, maybe by grabbing the back of his shirt and dragging him backward. Not by running in front. I shook my head, running a hand through my hair. She drives me crazy, but if I want to be completely honest, I'm kind of proud of her. I will find this assassin, and make them pay. No one hurts my Beka.

I stepped down the stairs onto the main floor, looking around. This would soon be the future Court of the Rogue. I just had so smooth a few more things out and announce it. I smirked as I imagined the chiefs' responses when I tell them my plans. The look that Dawull will get on his face in finding out he was expected to rule in a lodging house; priceless.

I ran out in the streets, running a light jog to the current Rogue's Court. When I entered, people burst into talk, all of them clamouring to get my attention. I grinned, throwing my shoulders back and putting my chin in the air. I got this position to help the Lower City, and that's what I have every intention of doing. It's nice to stop and smell the roses every once and a while, though.

I climbed the stairs and took my place at the head of the table where the chiefs' sat. Silence fell as I remained standing, surveying who was at the court. I saw, to not much surprise, Tunstall and Goodwin standing near the back. No doubt they were here to negotiate over the happy bag.

Aniki and Kora stood near the back. They both nodded to me, and I nodded back. Finally, I spoke. "People of this Court. If you haven't already heard, there was an assassination attempt on our Lord Gershom."

I stopped, watching for people's reactions carefully. A collective gasp was heard throughout the room, with most rushers looking on in fear and disbelief. Someone I could hear say, "So what? I say good riddance." I found the speaker to be Renon, and new rusher to the court. His friends sniggered.

"Do you have something you'd like to share, Renon?" I snarled, again drawing the attention of the room. He froze, paling considerably. It was fools like these that got Beka hurt. "So you think this is a good thing? Do you have any sense at all?"

People muttered to each other, glaring at him. Some balled their hands into fists in anger. "So, you think having the Lord Provost suspect this Court is responsible for trying to overthrow him is a good thing? Maybe you think having every person in the Lower City put at risk of going to the cages and being tortured for information is a good thing? I have a feeling you're going to need some ice tomorrow morning for all those bruises you're going to get."

"I—I meant no disrespect, my King…." He was shaking slightly at the feeling of all those eyes on him, his cocky demeanor gone.

"Oh? Only disrespect to your fellow rushers, of course…." I smirked slightly, knowing this episode would make people think twice about attacking the Lord Provost or even any Dogs for a while.

I sat, letting events unfold in my court. Instead I turned to my chiefs, demanding, "Do any of you have any information regarding this?"

They all stayed silent, staring at the table. I slammed my fist on the table in frustration. Finally Ulsa spoke up. "I heard a whisper that the assassin wasn't for the Lord Provost."

I met her eyes, letting her know she had my attention. She gulped, before continuing, "It was meant for some Puppy."

I felt myself go cold all over. No…it couldn't….

At seeing my expression, she hurriedly added, "Meaning no disrespect."

I sighed, saying, "Thank you, Ulsa. Even that tidbit helps." She sighed with relief, turning to talk to the chief beside her after seeing I was done talking. I turned back towards my Court, summoning the first person in line to come and see me. This was going to be a long night….

Don't people have anything better to do then come sniveling to me? Four people. _Four people _came to tell me their birthday was tomorrow and they couldn't decide to celebrate or not. I'm their to protect the victims of people like the Shadow Snake, not give advice on birthdays. As I walked back to my lodgings, I turned down a detour, intending to get some bread for tomorrow morning's breakfast. As I turned, I almost tripped over something large and black that yowled when I did. Looking down, I saw Pounce looking up at me in urgency.

I crouched so I was nearer to eye level, and whispered, "Now, why aren't you with Beka? You can't just leave her alo—"

I was interrupted by a set of meows from Pounce. _You need to come back now. She's in danger._

It took me a moment to process that a cat just talked to me, until the message came through. _She's in danger. _My mind flashed. _It was meant for some Puppy. _I stood, turned on heel, and ran as fast as I could towards the lodging house. I heard somewhere that the Lord Gershom took her family in when she was eight, were they intending to shoot him to hurt her? Get her weak, and not thinking clearly, so they could do something else?

Or, even better, get her injured. No one would concentrate on protecting Beka when the assassin was seemingly for the Lord Provost. I felt my stomach drop through my feet, so I ran faster.

I reached the house in record time, skidding before a stop in front of it. My breath caught when I saw the lock smashed off the front door. I ran in, keeping my feet light and quick so I wouldn't be heard. When I reached her doorway, I looked in and felt my heart constrict.

She was gone.

**Author's Note:**

**Yay! I'm just a writing machine, I guess. I'm sorry for the cliffie, it just seemed right to end it there. It's also kind of different doing Rosto's POV, but I had to for the plot. I hope I kept it in character. **

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!**

**Padfoot**


	3. A Caged Dog

**Beka's POV:**

I woke up to a pain so ferocious it made me want to fall unconscious again. When it subsided, I looked around. My hands were hobbled with a cord, as well as my feet, and I could feel myself getting knocked up and down. From the rhythm, I could guess I was draped over a horse. The jostling around did nothing to help my shoulder. I found myself clenching my teeth in pain with every step the horse took.

I was covered with a heavy black blanket. My hair had fallen out of its restraints and tumbled down, covering my face. I twisted my hands, trying to see if I could loosen the cord. The movement sent more pain shooting through my shoulder, so I froze. Why was I here? I can't remember anything. From the circumstances, though, I can guess I was kidnapped and taken from the lodging house.

The horse stopped suddenly. I quickly closed my eyes and went limp, slowing my breathing. I wanted my captor to think I was still unconscious. Undoubtedly he got to me when I was sleeping, and probably used some charm or something to ensure I stayed asleep for a while. I might gain an advantage if he still believed me to be asleep.

Hands enclosed around my waist, hoisting me off the horse. I heard the person grunt with the effort, before throwing me over their shoulder.

I heard only footsteps. Then the click of a key opening a lock. Finally I heard him mutter, "Oh, you'll pay for what you did, oh yes…."

I was then slammed on something hard, and I winced in pain. I felt the blanket be ripped off me, and I opened my eyes again, deciding I didn't have too much of an advantage pretending to be asleep. I would be better suited to look around.

A bright light glared in my face, and I squinted through it to see a ragged looking man leering at me. He had rotted teeth and dirt-colored hair. His skin was scarred, and looked almost like leather, hinting at hard labor at some point. His eyes, however, shone with intelligence.

He saw me watching him, and said, "Well, you're a pretty enough mot, aren't you? WHY?!" He suddenly screamed, making me flinch. "You killed Yates, and Mistress Noll! It's your fault!"

I tried to stay calm, saying, "I don't now what you mean…."

He slapped me then, snarling, "They were my only friends! Mistress Noll took pity on me, and fed me as long as I helped her with the baking. Yates made me feel powerful, he was my best friend! He even let my plant the Snake's notes if I was good! You took them away, you took away my life!"

I felt fear take root inside of me. I've heard horrible stories of Dogs who got caught by the friends of Rats they'd put away. It never ended well.

"They were criminals! I did what was right."

He slapped me again. "No! I'm doing what's right. I'm avenging Mistress Noll and Yates, they told me to! They told me to hurt the Lord Provost too, because you cared about him, but you messed that up too!"

I stared at him in confusion, finally concluding that he must be insane. I'd never seen more of a midden hen. He needed professional help, and fast; before he goes after someone else. But wait…my Lord Provost?

He abruptly started grinning again, purring in my ear, "Oh, go to sleep, my pretty one. Just you wait 'till tomorrow. I've got something special planned for you."

I felt myself go ice-cold with fear. I watched him leave, and knew he was planning to kill me. I—I couldn't die right now. There are too many unfinished ends. I need to tell my family that I love them, and that I forgive them. I need to thank Ersken, Kora, and Aniki for being such amazing friends to me. And…I need to tell Rosto I _do _actually enjoy his company, and…well; it's not important right now. What's important is I think of anything that could help me in this situation.

**Rosto's POV:**

How could this happen? I should have never left; or maybe have asked someone else to stay with her. Who knows where she is now?

Aniki and Kora walked in, both singing an old folk tune. They stopped when they saw me sitting gloomily on the floor by the front door, Pounce at my feet.

"Rosto?" whispered Kora. I looked up at them, seeing the worry on their faces.

"What happened? You haven't looked this gloomy since Beka rejected you when you tried to give her a flower a while back." That was Aniki, as she took a seat beside them. I sighed, looking at both of their faces. They had fought through poverty with me, and come with me when I told them I was going to Corus. I owed them an explanation, at least.

"Beka's gone," I whispered, looking at the floor. "All of her stuff is still in the rooms, and she couldn't have gone anywhere with that shoulder anyway. Someone took her."

Kora and Aniki looked at each other in unease. Kora finally said, "We heard a whisper. After you left, a rusher started boasting about how his buddy was going to kidnap a Puppy tonight. He said they were going to have a presentation tomorrow at midday us rogues might appreciate."

I stood, feeling anger course through my veins. "Where?" I demanded, voice hoarse.

Aniki said, "Right in front of the Jane Street Kennel."

I stood, dusting off my clothes. My voice was cold. "Send out our best rushers. Tell them to lie in wait around the kennel, and to report anything suspicious to me."

They both nodded, preparing to go. As they stepped out of the door, Kora turned to look back at me. "Don't worry, Rosto. We'll find her, safe and sound. You'll be able to go back to pulling our Puppy's tail."

I tried to assure them I was fine by faking an easygoing grin as I said breezily, "Can't wait."

When they left, I looked down at Pounce. His purple eyes glinted in the dim light, and I heard him yowl, _I'm going to look for her. You'd be wise to tag along._

I nudged him lightly with my foot, saying, "_You'd _be wise to tag along. I'm leading the search."

_That's what you think, _retorted Pounce, his tail a black flag as he ran out the door. I followed after him, praying to whatever gods might be listening that Beka was safe.

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you guys like this chapter. It might be a little weird, but I thought it would be a little unexpected plot twist. **

**Thanks for reading, as always!**

**Padfoot**


	4. Any Other Way

**Beka's POV:**

I spent all night fighting my bonds, and still to no avail. Why did he have to be a smart midden hen? A Dog's life is so much easier when they're stupid. I laid on the table he had thrown me on, and stared up at the ceiling. I knew it was near noon, and I still didn't have an idea. Well, I've had _some _ideas, none of which were very good.

Idea 1: Roll off the table, gaining fresh bruises along the way. Struggle my way to the door and miraculously find a way to either hop/roll past the mage's charms without them blaring in my face. And judging by the amount of them, I'd say this plan is out.

Idea 2: Fight, hard, when he tries to take me. Even though he doesn't look too fit, I'm sensing that plan won't end well with my hands and feet hobbled. I'd probably just provoke him into killing me _before _the "scheduled time."

Idea 3: Scream my head off when he tries to take me anywhere and probably get myself silenced in the most efficient way possible.

There really isn't a fourth idea. I know, somewhere in my mind, that he has me trapped. I'm just not willing to admit it yet. There is a way out; there has to be. There just has to be.

The door slammed open, making me flinch after laying in silence for so long. My captor came in; roughly throwing the heavy blanket over me and throwing me back over his shoulder. I heard the door open as I was carried outside. I expected to be slammed on a horse, but was surprised when he continued walking longer then before.

About an hour later, after hearing countless doors opening, a couple breaks where I was shoved in an alleyway for a while, and even the sound of him running up some stairs, I heard him stop. He put me down for a second, and ripped off my cover.

I looked around from my vantage point on the ground, and saw that we were on a flat area, with a thick two-foot wall blocking my form from view from onlookers. I tried to sit up, but was shoved back down by a hard kick. I looked to the sun in the sky; it was midday.

To my horror, I saw him take out a magical stone from his pocket. He must have a rich mage friend, to have given him that stone. The carvings on the side told me it was made to amplify your voice, when you spoke in its vicinity.

He raised it to his mouth, and said, "Hello—"

**Rosto's POV:**

"—the people of the Lower City. Beautiful day, isn't it?" Hearing a voice, I whipped my head up towards the rooftop across the kennel. A man was standing there triumphantly, a magical stone raised to his lips. My mouth tightened; I knew this was the man we were looking for. I signaled the rushers in the crowd now forming to look for a way in. In the meantime, I stayed casual, keeping our Court mage, Jerrin, by my side. He could communicate by magic with another mage that followed some of my rushers.

"I have something to tell you!" The man on the roof looked absolutely delighted. This only made me feel colder; I had lost too many people in Scanra, and this…_man_…looked absolutely delighted to have kidnapped our Puppy. He will pay.

Several Dogs had begun to exit the kennel, and were now watching the man warily. I could guess some of them were already trying to go behind for a way to the top.

"The _Dogs _that we all trust so much shouldn't be trusted! I mean, what do they do for us?" As he said this, I felt my chest constrict as a flicker of brown hair was seen.

"They protect everyone and uphold the—"

"SHUT YER GOB!" roared the madman. I clenched my hands in anger. That voice that had spoken was undoubtedly Beka's. Even though it was fainter then his, due to being farther away from the stone, it still rang clear. I shook slightly, knowing exactly how he had silenced her.

He smiled back at the crowd, as if on a stage. "They take our loved ones! They torture us and strut around like they own _our _city!"

I turned to Jerrin, knowing exactly where this speech was going. "Are they in the building?" I hissed.

Jerrin looked hesitant, before answering, "The whole building doesn't have a single opening to get in. I don't know how he got up there; he must've climbed to the roof of a building nearby and somehow gotten across."

"And why did none of my men see him come?" I demanded, my voice just barely controlled.

Jerrin looked slightly fearful as he shrugged his shoulders. I clenched my teeth together. Suddenly a collective gasp was heard throughout the crowd. I had been so focused on Jerrin, I hadn't noticed what had happened.

I whipped my head around and saw, to my horror, the madman holding Beka up by her shirt collar. He held her high for all to see, positioning her so any archers would have trouble shooting him down. She was gagged, and a painful looking bruise was already forming on her cheekbone.

I cursed, knowing what I had to do if Beka was to live. I glanced at the building. It was brick, with plenty of gaps in the mortar. Perfect.

**Beka's POV:**

I'm going to die. He's going to kill me. There aren't any plans to distract me from the truth. It's hit me hard, leaving tears in my eyes.

The worst thing about this is feeling so helpless; so weak. When he gagged me after I interrupted his little speech, and lifted me before the crowd, I realized just how little I could do. I'm going to die.

His words are just a meaningless murmur to me. Occasionally, I'll pick out a fragment, like, "Doing my duty," or, "Took them from me."

Suddenly I felt cold steel pressed against my neck. I let tears fall silently down my cheeks, to my shame. I listened to what he was saying now, hearing, "And now, people of the Lower City, I give you your redemption!"

I felt the steel cut through some of the skin on my throat. Then I saw him look at me, pressing slowly to torture me. Anger surged through me at this cruelty, and I managed to give him an infamous ice-eyed glare.

I knew he would take his sweet time before slicing suddenly. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Pain shot through me as I was thrown to the ground, the steel removed from my neck. I opened my eyes, watching with shock as I saw Rosto and my captor wrestle over the knife. I pressed a hand to my neck, and pulled it away to only see a very thin line of blood.

I got up, feeling my head go light as I did so. I looked down, and noticed faintly that my shoulder was infected. I tried to ignore it, instead staggering forward to try and help Rosto.

I ran into the madman, sending us both down in a tumble. We landed with me on top of him, while he was draped precariously over the two-foot wall. I felt hands grab me from behind, and drag me back from the wall. I started to struggle, and then looked up to see Rosto still pulling me backwards. He muttered, "Don't ever scare me like that again."

I looked to see if he was kidding, but then noticed the very serious look in his eyes. He set me down before I could respond, picking up the knife discarded by my captor when I fell on him. I saw him grab the man from the back, wrenching him to his feet. He pressed the knife to his throat. The madman froze, fear evident in his eyes. Rosto's breath was hard as he snarled, "No one's killing Beka."

I knew what he was going to do, and I couldn't let him. "Don't!" I cried.

He glanced at me, before shouting, "He isn't worth it, Beka! Don't you dare lecture me; he was going to kill you! He aided the Shadow Snake in killing and kidnapping all those children!

"It's people like this that make the Lower City such a horrible place! Sure, we may not all get our money through the most honorable means, but the people in my court wouldn't murder a Dog, or even a Puppy, just from spite!"

I knew I couldn't really stop him, but I had to try. "Then let the cage Dogs have him! That will be more painful then a quick death right now! Please, Rosto!"

He looked at me as I swayed on the spot, having gotten up when I tried to dissuade him. His knuckles grew white on his grip of the madman, until he raised the knife and threw it.

It hit the mortar of some bricks just beyond the captive's right shoulder. The madman grinned, speaking for the first time. "I knew you didn't have the guts! Some Rogue you are, not even ki—"

Rosto punched him hard, right in the face. It silenced him quite effectively, knocking him out. Rosto looked down at him in disgust, dropping him on the ground.

I staggered over to him, until I stood beside him. "Thank you," I whispered, looking down at my unconscious kidnapper. I felt an arm wrap around my waist, and suddenly I found myself pressed against his side.

It was comforting, so I didn't say anything. We just continued to stare at the madman, thoughts swirling around in our heads.

Suddenly he turned me so I was facing him, and whispered, "Don't you ever, _ever_, scare me like this again." I was about to point out he'd already said that, and I got the point, but then I saw his eyes. They had the same serious look about them, but I could also see worry and compassion. Maybe he did care about me after all.

I smiled reassuringly, and whispered, "I'll try my best not to."

Rosto smiled down at me, before leaning over and kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, relishing this feeling for some reason. He pulled away, smiling widely.

I disengaged from his arms, realizing that I suddenly felt colder. I shrugged it off, and bent down to pick up the madman. I looked up at Rosto, who just stood there, watching me.

"How did you get up here, anyway?"

He grinned a razor of a smile before responding, "Scaled the wall. I can do it in no time at all, especially in these conditions."

"That's against the law, you know," I replied teasingly.

He looked down at the ground, before he realized I was teasing him. Whipping his head back up, he was about to retort when he was interrupted by a loud voice saying, "Puppy Cooper. Pick up the captive and drop him off the side."

I picked him up as ordered, with Rosto helping me, as we staggered over to the wall. I looked down, and saw a stretcher below us, and what looked suspiciously like a mage standing beside it.

"Don't worry, we'll cushion his fall. To a point." I looked to see Tunstall giving out the orders, and I smiled, obeying him. We dropped the madman, seeing a bronze Gift wrap around him lazily and slow his fall onto the stretcher.

"We can get you two down the same way; it's just a little more risky because we actually care about you two."

I saw him grin, and I was about to reply when Rosto cut me off with, "I have a better way, if you won't arrest me, sir."

Tunstall grinned, shouting back, "You saved our Puppy, Rogue. We're prepared to be lenient for a little while."

Rosto grinned, shouting, "Jerrin! Send it up!"

I saw a man magic a strange looking rope up to us, which Rosto snatched. He snared one end onto the wall, making sure the metal hook was secure. Then he let the rope fall down the wall. "Cover me, just in case, Jerrin!" He shouted, before turning towards me.

I finally figured out what he was planning. "Oh no, no way. I'd rather jump off the wall."

"And become a nice Puppy pancake if something goes wrong?" Before I could respond, Rosto grabbed me and slung me over one of his shoulders. He walked towards the wall, one hand keeping me secure. He stopped before the edge, saying, "If you want to be more secure, I suggest you move into a different position." I acted without thinking too much about it, sliding off his shoulder before clambering on his back, my legs wrapped firmly around his waits and my arms around his neck.

Finally I responded, shouting, "You can't take two people down a wall! You'll kill yourself and me! You looby, this will never work!"

"I didn't become the Rogue just from looks, you know!" He shouted, grabbing the rope firmly. I shut up, not wanting to distract him right now.

Light blue magic wrapped around him, no doubt the magic of his pet mage. It brought him over the two foot wall, bringing him to the rope. He grabbed it firmly, shouting, "Thanks, Jerrin, keep it up!"

He began to climb down, releasing his hand on me to grip the rope. I trembled with fear, wrapping my arms tighter around him and closing my eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard a warm voice say, "You can let go now, Beka."

I opened my eyes, and, seeing we were at the bottom, jumped off of him. I looked around, seeing Tunstall making his way towards me. He wasn't in uniform; obviously he had heard the commotion and come to see what it was about.

He clapped Rosto on the shoulder, saying quietly, "Our lenient behavious ends now, Rogue."

Rosto grinned, muttering, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Tunstall looked at my shoulder and my neck, and said, "I trust you to take her home. Get Kora to take care of her." Rosto nodded, shaking Tunstall's hand. Tunstall turned to me, giving me and Rosto a knowing smile. "Get well, Cooper."

He turned and trotted away, disappearing back into the crowd. Rosto grinned at me, grabbing me around the waist and steering me towards our lodging house. I glanced back and saw the cage Dogs carrying the madman into the kennel. I winced, knowing what was in store for him.

We mostly walked in silence, until Rosto finally said, "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think it's important for you to know. In case you get kidnapped again, and I can't reach you in time." He stopped, turning towards me. "I think I love you."

I looked at him in shock. Sure, I could've guessed he was infatuated with me, maybe. But love? Can he really mean it, or is this a joke?

Looking at him carefully, I decided his intentions were at least true. And he had just saved my life. I at least owed him the truth. "Don't get a swelled head," I whispered, "But I think I love you too."

He grinned, swooping down and kissing me again. I felt warmth spread through my body, and for the first time I kissed him back. When he pulled away, he whooped, throwing his hands in the air. "I knew it!"

I grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into a walk. When we reached the lodging house, I turned and saw him grinning like a fool. He looked at me with bright eyes, and quickly said, "We better get you healed."

I turned the knob, ready to walk through the door, but was stopped when Rosto picked me up bridal style, kicked the door open and shouted, "We're home!"

I tried to scold him, but it was only half-hearted. I guess Rosto will do as he wishes, and right now, his wish is to protect me whether I want it or not. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for any mistakes, when I wrote the end I just got back from a Basketball game and we think I have a concussion, but we haven't gotten it checked. So, I'm a little dizzy right now and my head kind of hurts, but I finished! I'm pretty happy with this story, it turned out pretty good. I'm thinking of writing an epilogue, but I'm not sure. **

**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! And a HUGE thanks to all my reviewers, I love you guys!**

**One Dizzy Padfoot**


	5. Epilouge

**Beka's POV:**

Kora had successfully healed me, so I had returned to Dog business. My first night back, Tunstall grinned and clapped me on the shoulder, saying, "Welcome back, Puppy Cooper." Even Goodwin smiled when she saw me.

I hummed to myself quietly as we started our patrol, keeping pace with my two Dogs. We walked for quite a while until Goodwin snapped, "What are you so darned happy about, Cooper?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, looking down at the cobblestones. I smiled slyly when I did, knowing very well what I was happy about.

"Does it have anything to do with the Rogue, by any chance?" asked Tunstall, raising an eyebrow at me.

I blushed, keeping my head down. _Yes_, I thought. But I was afraid they wouldn't approve of our new relationship, because he was the Rogue and I'm a Puppy and all. They might even try to split us up or something.

Tunstall frowned when I didn't reply, a look of understanding dawning on his face. Goodwin glanced at him, saying, "What is it now?"

Tunstall looked at me again, saying, "It does, doesn't it? You and Rosto are together, aren't you?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped myself. It wouldn't be fair to Rosto if I pretended we weren't together, and I didn't want to lie to my Dogs anyway. They'd probably figure it out sooner or later, but I was hoping for later.

"WHAT?" Goodwin shouted, drawing several eyes to our direction. Lowering her voice, she said again, "Tell me he's wrong, Puppy."

"No," I said, fighting my cursed shyness enough to look her in the eye. "I won't because I respect you enough not to lie to you."

Goodwin just stared at me in shock, having stopped walking. I stopped with her, unable to look in her stormy eyes anymore.

"That is unacceptable," she hissed. "You're a Puppy, he's a thief. It would never work out. I thought you were smart, Cooper! What happens if he breaks the law in front of you? Huh? What will you do, let him get away with it?"

"I wouldn't have to!" I retorted. "He promised never to break the law in front of me or tell me about breaking the law, and if he forgets, he said he understands if I try to bring him in!"

"Clary," whispered Tunstall, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hasn't our Puppy proved to us over and over again that we can trust her? If she loves Rosto, we should let them be together."

Goodwin eyed his for a moment like a wolf would eye a dear, before she relaxed and whispered, "Fine."

Tunstall smiled at me, saying, "You have _my _blessing."

He elbowed Goodwin, until she sighed, "You have mine as well."

I grinned, saying, "Thank you!"

"But," said Tunstall, looking deadly serious. "If he hurts you in any way, he will have me to answer to. And I won't be happy."

I laughed, feeling perfectly at ease with who I was in the world. I mean, could I ask for better Dogs?

**YAY! Officially done, now that I finally finished the epilogue! I hope you guys liked it, I really wanted to write something about Tunstall and Goodwin accepting Rosto and Beka being together. Sorry for the shortness, but I couldn't have drawn it out any more!!  
**

**I hope you liked this story! And thanks to all of my reviewers! Like I said before, I love you! (Not in a creepy stalker way, though…weird…) **

**Padfoot**


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